Southwark Council forced to apologise over Canada Estate scandal

• Major works project ran 17 months over schedule and £1.7m over budget.
• Residents were lied to by officers about need for new windows.
• Council has committed to full review of the project.

Southwark Council has been forced to apologise to residents after a redevelopment project ran over schedule and over budget.

At Wednesday's Overview and Scrutiny Committee, residents of the Canada Estate, at the invitation of Liberal Democrat councillors, tore into the council for a lack of consultation, transparency and communication with the community regarding the scandal-ridden project.

One Canada Estate resident said they had been "consistently blocked, delayed, hindered and impeded by the council" in efforts to obtain information and that the council has "undertaken extraordinary lengths to hinder any transparency" in relation to the project.

Southwark's interim housing director said he could not "defend the indefensible" and offered an "unreserved apology" to the residents for their treatment by the council.

The project, which began in October 2020, has been described as a "comedy sketch" by residents after revealing completion had been delayed by 17 months and the cost had ballooned from an original estimate of £4.8m to £6.5m as of July 2023.

Councillors from Rotherhithe ward, where Canada Estate is located, were invited but only one attended. There was also no Labour cabinet member present to answer questions from residents and councillors.

A main concern raised by residents and councillors related to the installation of new windows which restricted access to the balconies and have reportedly caused insulation issues.

Council officers informed locals and ward councillors that new windows were decided in a building control plan from the London Fire Brigade. However, upon investigation it was revealed that the London Fire Brigade had made no request that the windows were changed.

Cllr Cryan, Labour member for Rotherhithe and cabinet member for finance, admitted that the residents had been provided with "misinformation" and that she herself was "misled as ward councillor" by the council.

Liberal Democrat members on the committee recommended that the council undertake a full review into the major works project, which was agreed by the committee.

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain also got the committee to recommend the council undertake a "root and branch" review into Southwark's housing department which is "not fit for purpose".

Commenting, vice-chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Cllr Irina von Wiese said:

"This isn't just a shambles, it is a full-blown scandal. The residents of Canada Estate have been treated with complete contempt while they have been rightfully seeking some transparency and accountability. They have been living on a building site for an extra 17 months and leaseholders are facing a huge bill purely because of the council's mismanagement.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Kirby estate residents had to fight for years after their botched major works project. Styles House residents face living next to a building site indefinitely after the construction of 25 new council homes was cancelled. The repairs service is in a permanent state of crisis and people are living in unacceptable conditions all over Southwark.

Southwark Labour are failing on housing. They've been called out by the Housing Ombudsman, the Housing Secretary and residents across the borough. We need a full review and radical change."